Freddie's Old Fashioned Root Beer

This is gonna be another quick one. Sorry, but i have a bunch of these in my fridge and need to get through them. I presume some of you, my loyal readers, actually prefer to not read any of my blathering run-on sentences i've been writing about my life lately, but i guess i wouldn't know since i truly don't care to read any of your comments or just generally interact with you at all. So with that, let's talk about Freddie's Old Fashioned Root Beer. I found this at my local Fry's grocery store, which is my preferred grocery shopping market. Freddie's is bottled in Frankfort, KY by Buffalo Trace Distillery. I have heard a lot about Buffalo Trace Whiskey as they are frequent sponsors on the Joe Rogan Experience Podcast, but i have not indulged in the whiskey itself. I'm lead to believe that it's quite good, though i wouldn't know a good whiskey from a bad one if someone asked me. But it looks like this is the line of craft sodas that Buffalo Trace is responsible for. And since i can't weigh in on the whiskey, I guess i'll just have to see what this root beer holds.

The traditional 12 oz brown glass bottle has some fun labels attached, including one around the neck saying "Isn't that neat?". Well, it is in fact neat, as well as the little thumbs up on the cap and the profile image of a balding man wearing glasses and saying "Hey Daddy-o". It's fun and lively, so props for that Freddie's. A little harder to read at the bottom of the label is an informal ingredients list boasting the use of natural herbs, oil of birch and imported vanilla. The formal ingredients list says this stuff is sweetened with cane sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup. Not really sure how to take that. I guess they are covering all the bases with that statement. 

Well, whatever they sweeten this stuff with they did a decent job. This is a solid root beer all the way through. It has a classic, traditional root beer base with a sweet, creamy vanilla finish. The carbonation is a bit light for my taste, but otherwise it's very matter of fact. This is a root beer and it makes no qualms about it. Maybe my only criticism is that the flavor isn't distinct. I have no confidence that i could pick this out of a lineup. But that fact aside, i'm sure if i did a blind taste test of this root beer i would come to the conclusion that it's great even if i couldn't tell you what brand it was. 

My official review is that Freddie's Old Fashioned Root Beer gets 7 (seven) IBCs. Another great outing for a random root beer tucked away in my fridge. I am a fan of this stuff, and it seems to be popping up lots of places i have seen in my regional travels around the country so it is fairly readily available from what i can tell. Buffalo Trace is well known for putting a lot of time and effort into crafting their signature whiskey and i could say that seems to be the case for their root beer as well. Well done you. Go ahead and give this one a shot if you get the chance.

1919 Classic American Root Beer

This one will be short and sweet. Still on my quest to get through all the root beers in my fridge and this one was sitting right in front and looking so enticing. A friend of mine mailed me a care package full of root beers i have yet to review, which was very kind of her. 1919 Classic American Root Beer has been around since the beginning of Prohibition (which began in 1919) when breweries were faced with the dilemma of shifting operations to start making non-alcoholic beverages. Many breweries began making sodas, including the brewery that began making this one. This root beer hales from the northern MidWest region of the United States. New ULM Brewing and Beverage Co. operates out of Sleepy Eye, MN today and brews this soda to distribute to the surrounding areas. I got what is commonly referred to as a "tall boy" can, which is 16 oz. compared to the traditional 12 oz. can or bottle. That just means there is more of this to share with your wife and kids when you try it out for yourself. This is also available in bottles, growlers and even kegs if you're somewhere near where this is brewed. I really dig the label. It's simple but elegant and has bright pops of red to accentuate the design. Very tasteful.

Speaking of taste, this stuff packs it in. The recipe calls for real sugar and real vanilla, which gives this root beer a nice, solid, sweet and creamy flavor. The vanilla finish is a real treat. The website says this is great for root beer floats, which i don't doubt because this basically tastes like a root beer float already. In fact, it's so good that the website says it should only be had as a treat once in a while and shouldn't be consumed regularly. Kind of a refreshing take from the people who make this stuff. I'm really impressed with how good it is.

My official review is that 1919 Classic American Root Beer gets 9 (nine) IBCs. I mean... wow... this one is a treat. It's been a loooonnngg time since i've had a 9 come along and this one took me by surprise. My only wish is that i could get some locally, but i am nowhere near the northern MidWest region of the United States and don't know when i will ever get up to that area. So if you are feeling like making a pilgrimage or happen to stumble across some of this stuff then do yourself a favor and grab a few for a real solid root beer experience.